Four Teachers Who Went for Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Whew. That was a mouthful. It was also a challenging proposition for four Arkansas teachers who decided to get certified from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Jessica Bauer writes for TheCabin.net in Conway, AR about Cindy Romero, Sheila Brooks, Jeanne Ortiz and Sarah Copeland, four teachers who challenged themselves to get additional certification. What does it all mean?

There are five core propositions set forth by the NBPT:

1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
5. Teachers are members of learning communities

The three-year certification process includes the submission of four portfolios documenting your accomplishments, and completion of six exercises designed to measure your content knowledge.

Copeland had this to say about her achievement:

"It's great for you to know that you've completed this really big, long process and proven to yourself that you know what you're doing in your class."

She added that "she thought becoming certified through the national teaching board would allow her to not only become a better teacher, but be able to reach out to her students even more."

Have you thought about getting national board certification? Either way, I'm interested in your story.

Share your thoughts right here or in the Cont. Ed. forum.